and we learn how to dance
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: Victoire has to set an example for all the younger Weasleys, which means not falling for her best friend- oops, too late. Teddy/Victoire, NextGen.


**and we learn how to dance**

_Teddy/Victoire_

_and of all the things I let get away  
>she's the one that keeps me awake at night<br>and I've never seen days go by so fast  
>a little more sand falling through the glass<br>she was hot as July and sweet as sunshine  
>oh, she could've been mine<br>but we ran out of summertime  
><em>- **out of summertime, scotty mccreery**

…

She's _Victoire_ and she has to set an example for all of the younger Weasleys, thank you very much.

….

When she's a little kid, she meets her new best friend. The first thing her eyes are drawn to is his _hair_. It's not blonde, like hers, or brown, like her younger cousin Roxy's, or even _red_, like her daddy's. It's _blue_.

With a hand on her hip, she walks over to him, before putting her hand on his head and running a hand through his short turquoise hair. "Why is your hair blue?"

He glances up at her. Smiling, he shakes his head. "Why is your hair blonde?"

"My mummy has blonde hair! So does my sister and brother," she declares importantly.

"It's so _do_ my sister and brother," he laughs like she's stupid or something. "And my mummy can, I mean, um, could change her hair colour, so can I!"

"I don't care, and you can _change_ your hair colour?" Victoire widens her eyes as she stares at him. "Show me, show me!"

He laughs. Scrunching up his face in concentration, he waits and she watches with wide blue eyes. Finally, his hair begins to subtly change- _turquoise_, _indigo, purple-blue, violet, purple_.

"Your hair is purple!" she gasps.

"Yes, it will change if I think about it really, really hard," he chuckles. "Want any colours?"

"Can you do pink? It's… it's my favourite colour," she offers shyly, smiling a tiny smile.

He nods, and scrunching up his nose in a way that sort of reminds her of her pet rabbit, he frowns in concentration. Slowly, his hair begins to change again. _Purple, slightly pink purple, magenta, bubble gum (or cotton candy) pink_. He opens his eyes. "Did it change?"

"It did! It looks so pretty," she gushes. "Can you- can you teach me?"

"I dunno," The boy shrugs his shoulders. "My grandmommy says that it's a special, um, able-ty and only some people have it!"

"Oh," Victoire deflates, disappointed.

But he walks over to her and wraps his arms around her, catching her in _(his first_)bear hug. She laughs and hugs her back. Even though she doesn't really know him, she's only five, and she doesn't care. Besides, he makes her feel like she knows him.

Suddenly, a voice breaks through their hug. "Teddy! Who is that you're hugging?"

"This is my new friend," he smiles at Victoire, before realising he doesn't know her name.

"Victoire," she whispers, making sure to pronounce it with the correct French pronunciation.

Nodding, he yells to the lady who's standing nearby with a tiny smile, "Victoire!"

She has to laugh at his completely British pronunciation of her name, but she nods nonetheless and smiles at the lady.

"Victoire Weasley?" she asks with her mouth wide open, and Victoire nods, feeling comforted at the lady's perfect pronunciation of her name. "Oh, Fleur and I were planning to get the two of you together for a playdate sometime soon anyway! How lovely that you've already met. Anyway, Teddy, come along- we've a lot to do today!" She sticks out her hand, as if she's waiting for the boy to hold it.

The boy grabs the lady's hand with a smile at Victoire. "I'm Ted, but most people call me Teddy! I hope we can play again-"

But then he's tugged out of her sight and she stares after him.

From that moment on, they're the best of friends.

…

When she's ten, she and Teddy both go over to their Uncle Harry's. They both call him that, though he's _actually_ Victoire's uncle, and not actually Teddy's. Once she haughtily informed him of that, and he hung his head like this made him very sad, so she'd hugged him and told him that love was stronger was blood (or something like that, her daddy always said it).

It's the summer before Teddy goes off to school for the first time, and it's going to be _weird_, she knows, not to have him around all of the time. She'll definitely miss him in that weird way of hers.

But when they get there, there's something different in the house. Something smells like baby powder again (it hasn't since Albus was born two years before). Teddy grabs her hand. "Vicky, something smells _weird_."

"Maybe it's you," she giggles.

Shaking his head, she says, "It's no time to be _funny_, Vicky! It smells like a _baby_ in here."

Suddenly, both of their heads shoot up, and they lock eyes. In that moment, they know that they're thinking the same thing. Uncle Harry has another baby.

Throughout the years, Uncle Harry has had two kids, and each time, they were a little bit less welcome in the house after that. When they were younger, they would come over all of the time- now, it's more like once a week, and if there's a new baby, it will be even _less_!

"Aunt Ginny?" Teddy calls tentatively, bravely. "Aunt Ginny, where are you?"

"Teddy, honey, is that you?" calls a weary voice. "Victoire with you?"

"Yes, it's me, Aunt Ginny," he yells back, exchanging a worried glance with Victoire. "And Vicky's with you!"

They can hear her exhale even from the hallway. "Good. Come in here, both of you. I'm in the bedroom."

Nodding even though she probably can't see her, Victoire takes Teddy's hand and the two of them walk into the bedroom. With a glance onto the bed, she realises that her Aunt Ginny is cradling a bunch of blankets.

No, _no,_ she thinks, but she smiles anyway. "You had another _baby_, Aunt Ginny?"

"Yes, didn't you realise that my tummy was getting bigger?" Aunt Ginny chuckles.

"I didn't notice, Aunt Ginny," Teddy tells her with a grin.

"Thanks, little Teddy Bear," she ruffles Teddy's hair. "Anyway, I'd like you both to meet the newest Potter- little Lily Luna Potter."

She turns around the little bundle in her arms. Victoire spots a tuft of red hair, sticking up in the back, and as she opens her eyes, she's startled by the shade of hazel they already are. The baby blinks at her. Her tiny, plump mouth turns up into a smile.

"Aw," Ginny coos. "She likes you."

Victoire thinks that this little _Lily Luna Potter_ creature is one of the wrinkliest things she has ever seen. She frowns back at the baby, but smiles innocently at her Aunt Ginny. "She's, um, cute."

Then Lily Luna turns her attention to Teddy and gives him an even bigger smile, accompanied by a coo- a _coo_, really. But Teddy doesn't seem to mind. In fact, his face lights up and his hair turns into a lighter shade of pink. Victoire raises an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't notice. With a grin, he asks Aunt Ginny, "Can I- can I hold her?"

"Of course," Aunt Ginny stretches out her hands to place the little bundle of pink blankets into Teddy's waiting arms. He gazes down adoringly at her before giving Aunt Ginny a huge smile.

"She's adorable," Teddy whispers, letting her wrap a tiny, pale hand around his finger.

"Yeah, well, you're going to be her best friend, aren't you?" Aunt Ginny asks teasingly. "You're gonna come over here and take care of her, because we know that James won't, the insolent little child."

"Of course," Teddy replies with a big nod.

_Best friend_, Victoire sneers inside her head. She doesn't know if she's ever been so jealous of a little **baby**.

But then Teddy gives the bundle of blankets back to Aunt Ginny and the two of them, Teddy and Victoire, walk outside. Then he wraps his arms around her, and tells her not to worry, he'll _always_ be her best friend.

For some reason, she's completely reassured. She rests her head on his chest and hopes to stay there forever.

…

The day that Teddy goes off to start school, Victoire begs to be allowed with Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Baby Lily by default, Mrs. Black (who's something like a third grandmother to her), and Teddy to go to the station. She doesn't like being left alone. Also, she doesn't want to say goodbye to Teddy at Shell College like some sort of _commoner_. She's Victoire Weasley and she's hardly common.

So her Weasley streak kicks in and she ends up at King's Cross alongside Teddy and Uncle Harry, who holds her hand as if she's a precious little toy (and she's _ten_ already, when will she be allowed to grow up?). Once they get there, she's overwhelmed by the number of wizarding children.

"Wow," she whispers, tugging at Uncle Harry's hand. "There are a lot of people here!"

"Teddy's schoolmates," Uncle Harry whispers back with a comforting smile. "You'll probably run into quite a few of them next year, when you're the one who's going to Hogwarts."

She nods and runs a bit faster to catch up with Teddy, hoping to catch him before he gets on the train. Once she reaches him, she realises that he's standing there unsurely. Arms wide open, she smothers him in a hug. "I'm going to miss you, Teddy."

"And I'll miss you, Vicky, but you'll owl me, right?" he asks with a smile upon his face.

"Of course I will," she says with a smile. But then she bites her lip. "B-but, will you owl me back, Teddy?"

"Of course I will," he reassures her back.

"Good," she says in a small voice. Then, with her tiny arms, she wraps him in a _bear_ hug.

After a second, he pulls back. "Got to go, Vicky! I'll see you soon, I promise, and I'll owl you!"

Saluting his parents, he shoots Victoire one last huge smile before taking hold of his trunk easily and jumping on to the train. She brushes a curl out of her eyes, blinking once to clear any traces of tears from her eyes before saying in a stiff voice, "Let's go. _Now._"

"Vicky?" Her Aunt Ginny asks in a concerned voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she tells her aunt with a frown, biting her lip. "I just want to leave_ now_." She's Victoire Weasley and she doesn't cry in front of people, oh no, because that's **weak** and Victoire isn't weak in the least.

"Okay," Aunt Ginny says, not pushing it any farther. She leads the young girl back to the car, little Lily Luna in her other arm, and Victoire is glad that someone is babysitting little James and Albus because the last thing she needs right now is two annoying _boys_.

She manages to hold it in until she gets home, but then she jumps onto her bed and dissolves into tears.

….

That whole year, she waits and she waits and she _waits_ for a letter to Teddy. When she doesn't get one, she decides to owl him instead.

_Dear Teddy,_

_Mummy says I need to improve my hadn handwriting. So she says to write to you. I can rite just fine! She thinks my spellings in Engish are bad. I dont think so! My french is better then my Engish. _

_I am realy exited to come to hogwarts next year!_

_~ Victoire _

She signs it with a flourish before handing it to her owl, telling him to guard it with all the care that he can muster because oh, it's going to Hogwarts, it's going to _Teddy_. The owl seems to nod before flying away into the vast sky. As it disappears, she watches it with naïve eyes, clinging on to the hope that she'll get a response.

Days pass. Days spent only in the company of her sister Dominique and her brother Louis, who aren't of much use, anyway. Dominique spends most of her time singing random Muggle songs she's picked up and Louis just tries to speak French (and fails completely).

It's one of the most _boring_ times of her life and she tells them with a frown that she can't wait until she goes to Hogwarts.

Dominique (who's only four, anyway) just shrugs and starts to sing again. "A, b, c, d, e, f, g…"

Louis (who's five) nods with a grin. "_Bonjour_, _mademoiselle_."

"You're both stupid," Victoire declares crossly. She stomps off to her room once again and waits for her letter that will never _ever_ come.

Because Dom's an idiot and Louis is an idiot and _Teddy_, oh, Teddy's the biggest idiot of them all.

But she still wishes for an owl from him.

As she peers up at the sky that night, she whispers, "I wish for an owl from Teddy. Just something to make me believe he still cares about me."

But she stops believing in wishes on shooting stars because she still gets nothing from him.

…

The summer before her first year, she begs to see Teddy. Regardless of the number of letters she got from him, a big fat _zero_, he's still Teddy and he's still her best friend… right? But the summer's too busy- no, Vicky, we have to go get you all sized up for robes, or no, Vicky, you need to go to Diagon Alley and get all of your schoolbooks. She'd much rather be lazing around in the courtyard with Teddy, maybe having a sort of conversation… or maybe just lying there, taking in the fresh air and the sunlight.

She's never been the take-action type of girl. That's seen much more in her cousin, Roxanne, who's two years younger than her but does more than Victoire ever has. She instead prefers lazy days or cold days, curled up by the fire. But of course, it's just before her first year at Hogwarts, as she's constantly reminded, so there's no _time_ for relaxing.

One day, her mum finally takes her over to the Lupins'. She bounces with excitement as she walks up the familiar stone pathway, and her heart thumps as her mum pounds on the door. Finally, Mrs. Black opens the door. "Victoire! Fleur! Such a pleasure. Do come on in."

She walks in slowly, clutching at her mother's hand as if it's the thing tying her to this universe. Once her eyes fall upon Teddy, she rushes over to him. "Teddy! Teddy!"

"Oh my Merlin, Vicky," he says with a bit of a disgusted look on his face, prying her tiny arms off of him. "No need to attack me like that."

"I know, I just haven't seen you in, what, a few days, months, a _year_," she spits, as if it's a sin for him not to be around her. "What's up with you, Teddy? We're best friends, right?"

"As if I would want to be best friends with a girl," he responds without even turning around.

Just like that, her whole Teddy-centric universe shatters. He's just going to throw her away, just like that, without even looking her in the eyes?

"What do you mean, you don't want to be best friends with a girl?" she whimpers with a frown. "We've always been best friends, you didn't care before-"

"That was before," he says dismissively. "Now is now. Guys at Hogwarts don't have girl best friends, Vicky. There's a clear line between boys and girls and-"

So she runs away, tears already stinging at her eyelids, hoping to vanish into the rug. Her mother catches her in a hug. Rubbing her hair, she tells her that everything's going to be alright and Teddy's just going through a stage. So she just squeezes her eyes shut and tries to believe it.

…

A few months later, she's sent off to Hogwarts with Teddy, as none of her cousins are old enough to start Hogwarts yet. Five year old Dominique gives her a tiny squeeze before running off to chase after some random little boy, probably a Slytherin, knowing her. Louis hands her a tiny flower and then spots some pretty blonde girl and he's off too.

Her mother kisses her head. "I warn you not to be a Gryffindor."

Her father jumps in. "Why? Gryffindors are perfectly respectable."

"Gryffindors are conceited," She says harshly with a tiny smile at Victoire.

Victoire laughs, but her father ruffles her hair, leaning down to whisper in her ear: "Out of my three, you might have the most chance of getting Hufflepuff. Louis is some sort of Hufflepuff, and Dom's definitely Slytherin, you'll see. But you can get Gryffindor and make your father proud."

Nodding solemnly, she gives her parents each a Teddy-like bear hug before scooping up her trunk, waving to her parents one last time, and boarding the train. It seems so much bigger than she remembers, and she looks from compartment to compartment as if it's the scariest thing in the world.

"Need some help there?" someone calls.

Turning, she sees Teddy Lupin. She frowns. "Not from you! You hate me, remember?"

He laughs. He actually _laughs_. "Vicky, I was stupid. I still am, but that's just me. Anyway, I'm here to help you now so you might as well accept that."

"You're so Gryffindor," she grumbles, but she grins. "Fancy finding a compartment?"

"Yes, I am," he laughs, tugging at the tie that's sticking out of his bag. "And yes, I do."

So he wraps his hand around hers again and they find a compartment. Once she sits down, she asks in a wavering voice, "Teddy, my daddy was talking to me and he said I'm gonna be his Gryffindor. What happens if I don't make Gryffindor? Will you and daddy hate me?" She doesn't believe that she'll be a Gryffindor at all.

"We could never hate you, Vicky," He reassures her. "You'll still be our Vicky."

So she grins at him with the stars in her eyes, and for the first time Victoire Weasley thinks that Teddy Lupin is sort of cute when he does that lopsided smile.

…

Once she gets there, she waits her turn before putting the Sorting Hat upon her head.

_Weasley, hm, the first one so far_, it reminds her. _Victoire Weasley. Half-French, part-Veela. Very, very interesting. You're not the typical Weasley, are you_?

_Just get on with it and put me in Gryffindor,_ she retorts impatiently.

_But you're not a Gryffindor_, it tells her as if this should be obvious by now. _You're not. You're sweet when you want to be, awfully scared of a lot of things, stuck-up in your own right- but fiercely loyal and very interesting. I think there's one house for you, and that's…_ "HUFFLEPUFF!"

She gasps, because _Hufflepuff_ had been the farthest from her thoughts when she'd been considering which house she'd get put into. But she clambers down from the stool, making her way over to the table, and as she's handed a yellow and black tie she can't help but think that it won't match her complexion.

Teddy shoots her a huge smile from the Gryffindor table, where he's seated next to some random girl with brown curls that sort of makes her envious because Merlin, that should be _her_. But no, she's stuck in Hufflepuff with the yellow-and-black and the random boy who's shooting her a longing glance.

"I'm Joseph Macmillan," he says with a far too eager smile. "And you must be the Weasley, um, Victoire Weasley, yes? Nice to meet you."

"The Weasley? Yes, I'm Victoire Weasley," she replies in an icy tone to match his eager one. "Yes, I know it's weird because I'm not a Gryffindor. No, I don't know why. Yes, I think you're a bit strange."

He didn't seem offended or even put out in the least. "That's okay. I think you're a bit strange, too!"

"Yay," She said dryly, rolling her eyes.

For a moment, she closes her eyes and wonders why the Sorting Hat has put her in this house, with this idiot Joseph. Obviously her intelligence level is far superior to his. But obviously the Sorting Hat also knows something that she doesn't.

…

Around their second year, Hogwarts finally begins to push the inter-house interaction sort of thing. They require people to sit at different tables for one meal a day, called the mixed house seating. The first time they do it, Victoire slides in at the Gryffindor table. "Teddy! Good to see you."

"Vicky!" he says with a laugh, reaching out to grab a chicken leg. "Good to see you too."

"Gotten any letters lately?" Victoire wonders. "You know, from Aunt Ginny or Uncle Harry or someone that I would know."

He shrugs and takes a slip of paper out of his pants, handing it to her. Quickly, she unfolds it, eager to read its contents, but it's mainly about how 2 year old Lily misses her Teddy. _Her_ Teddy. Victoire's teeth sink into her lip and she frowns. Teddy is _her_ best friend, right, not Lily's?

"That's good, that Lily's still writing to you," Victoire's teeth sink into her lip at her obvious lie.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Teddy says cheerily, oblivious as always. "Anyway, look, Gryffindor's winning the Hwith the House Points, isn't that great?"

"Great, except I'm a Hufflepuff," she teases with a grin. "So that's not really that great for us."

"True," He laughs, glancing down at the letter again, at where Lily's scrawled her name- _L I L Y_- in big, messy letters, with the L backwards and all.

"How's Lily doing?" Victoire asks sweetly, not really wanting to know but curious as to how he'll respond.

"She's doing great," Teddy responds, absentmindedly tucking the letter from Lily into his pocket. "The whole family is doing great, even without me."

She frowns, suddenly realising that this doesn't make Teddy too happy- it probably _should_, but from the upset look on Teddy's face, it doesn't. With a frown, she realises also how much she hates seeing him upset. Patting his shoulder, she says softly, "Just because they're able to function without you doesn't mean they don't miss you. How could they not miss you?" She giggles, pushing a blonde strand of hair behind her ear.

"I see now why you're a Hufflepuff," Teddy laughs, but then he grins at her. "Thanks though, Vicky."

"No problem," she replies, staring at him with wide blue eyes and grinning.

But he walks out of the Hall and leaves her anyway, probably to go owl Lily some more or something. She just pretends like she doesn't care at all.

…

The next year, he starts hanging out with the Gryffindor meatheads and tries to pretend that she doesn't exist. It hurts, really, it does, but she doesn't show it. They're supposed to be best friends forever. They've been friends since they were children; is he really just going to throw her away like this?

It hurts even more because he doesn't throw Lily away, either. Of course not.

But apparently, when you're a Gryffindor fourth year boy, it's not _cool _to have a third year Hufflepuff trailing around behind you. She doesn't get that, either.

In the Great Hall, she sits with Joseph Macmillan, whose crush on her is evident and quite annoying, in her opinion.

"So, Victoire," he says with an eager smile, "Are you going to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

"No." _Yes_, her head wants to say. She wants to say that, like all last year, she's going with Teddy. But she's not- he's going with his new, stupid Gryffindor friends, and she doesn't have anyone to take her to Hogsmeade. All of the other girls had 'boyfriends' to go with to Hogsmeade, but she had no one. She had a feeling that Joseph would take her, but she wanted to go with Joseph least of all.

That's when a boy that looked to be in the year above her sat down beside her. Flipping his hair and adjusting his (Gryffindor) tie, she recognizes him to be a friend of Teddy's. With a flirty smile, he asks her, "Excuse me, beautiful girl, but I couldn't help but to overhear you talking about needing someone to take you to Hogsmeade. I was just wondering- I'm a semi-attractive boy, right?" He laughs and flips his brown hair into his _gorgeous_ blue eyes. "And I'm looking for a pretty girl to take with me to Hogsmeade. Besides, you want to make Lupin jealous, right? Well, I think I'm perfect for that job."

Joseph's eyes flash with pure venom. "Josh, get the _heck_ away from her and me."

"Aw, hi, little bro, someone got a little crush?" Josh rolls his eyes. Victoire jumps at the name _bro_. How can someone as angelic-looking as Josh be related to someone like Joseph? Josh continues, "Whatever. What do you say, erm…"

"It's-" Joseph interjects, but Victoire cuts him off.

"Victoire," Victoire shoots Joseph a look before grinning at Josh. "And actually, I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you."

Joseph's eyes widen. "You're _that_ concerned about making Lupin jealous? Really, he's just an idiot…"

Stiffening, Victoire shakes her head. "I was his best friend, Joseph, I knew him better than anyone else growing up. I know that he's not an idiot or a bad person. He's just growing up…but anyway. I don't care for him like _that_. I just… I don't know."

_I want to see him squirm like he's made me squirm_ is what she says in the back of her head, but she refuses to say it out loud.

Josh cocks his head but grins nonetheless. "Oh, yes, you're the one that Ted's always on about- Victoire Weasley. Don't know why he wouldn't ask you out, but oh well, now you're going with me so I could care less."

"Hang on," Victoire interrupts curiously. "Ted? What did he say about me?"

Joseph scowls, glancing between Josh and Victoire. Before Josh can say anything, Joseph says gruffly, "Go away, my prat of a brother."

"See you at Hogsmeade," Josh tells Victoire with a grin and a wave, walking off before he has the chance to explain what Teddy's been saying about her.

With a small frown at Joseph, Victoire stands up and waves at him as she walks off, though in search of what she has no idea. It's just as she walks out of the doors that she runs into her little first year cousin Roxanne, and she sighs under her breath but grins at Roxanne anyway. "Hey, Roxie! How's Hogwarts for you so far?"

"Good," Roxanne says obliviously, her mouth crammed full of Chocolate Frogs (probably obtained from her twin brother Fred). "Where's Teddy?"

"Why?" Victoire snaps. "Do I have to be with Teddy all of the time?"

"No," the younger girl replies, not looking offended in the least, which kind of makes Victoire angry- she wants Roxanne to be angry with her for some reason. Still oblivious to Victoire's raging anger, Roxanne continues with a smile, "It's just that when we're at home, the two of you are always together. But here, you're talking to these other boys." Roxanne makes a face. "I don't like those other boys. You and Teddy are meant to be together, Vicky!"

"Yeah, well, I'm only thirteen, Roxy," she reminds her cousin, ruffling the little girl's hair. "I'm not sure if Teddy and I are perfect together or not. We don't know how we'll change in the future…"

"You're not that much older than me," Roxanne sticks her tongue out and grins. The only thing Victoire can think is that she's grateful Roxanne swallowed her Chocolate Frogs already.

Victoire laughs and shakes her head. "Wiser, though- I've had two years of schooling already!"

Roxanne sticks her tongue out again and they both laugh, wondering if it's really going to be Teddy and Victoire forever.

…

On the day that she's meant to meet Josh, she decides to go early- after all, it's always best to be punctual. But all of that changes when she runs into Teddy Lupin in the hallway.

He looks at her, at her nice clothes, before looking up to meet her eyes. "Where are you going dressed like _that_?" he asks distastefully.

"Not like it matters, but I'm going on my first date, Teddy," Victoire says brightly, bouncing on her toes.

Shell-shocked, Teddy's jaw drops. "_What_?"

"I'm going on my first date," Victoire repeats innocently. "Are you not happy for me?"

Refusing to play along with her little game, Teddy demands, "Who?"

"Not like it's any of your business," Victoire scoffs, but upon seeing the angry expression on his face, she relents. "Fine, fine. Josh, Josh Macmillan. Happy now?"

His voice is low, and rather intimidating for such a small fourth year. "You're going on a date with _Josh_ Macmillan?"

"Yes, what of it?" she replies impatiently. "Make it quick- I don't want to be late."

"You're thirteen, Vicky," he informs her, as if she didn't know already, and his voice falters on the Vicky. She pretends not to notice as he continues. "You're thirteen and Josh is in my year. Not to mention he's a heartbreaker. What good is it going to do you to go on a date with him? You'll only get your first heartbreak."

Quietly, she stands, waiting for him to finish. "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes," he replies, looking at her as if she's crazy, as if he doesn't _know_ what she wants him to say.

"All right then," she flips her blonde hair over her shoulder and walks out. It's hard to do, as she can feel his eyes on her, but she bites her lip and manages to make it to the door.

In the end, she's five minutes late. She blames Teddy.

Josh doesn't look too happy with her. "What have you been doing?"

"Nothing," she lies.

He arches an eyebrow, but otherwise doesn't comment. "Care for a firewhiskey?"

"Firewhiskey?" Victoire's eyebrows shoot up. "I'm thirteen- and you, you're fourteen! How could you be drinking already?"

He leans back in his chair. "Calm down, _Victoire_. A bit of underage firewhiskey never did anyone any harm."

"I'm sure it causes alca- alcan- alcan_holics_ lots of damage!" she protests, and at his laugh at her pronunciation of the word, she blushes, feeling her age for the first time.

"I'm sure it does too, good thing I'm not one," he raises an eyebrow. "Look, Weasley, either you're up for a good time or you're not. What's it going to be?"

"I'm up for a good time," she tells him, and he grins, before she finishes with a sharp, "But not a good time that involves damaging my health, idiot. Have fun getting yourself all drunk and…" she forgets the other word. Something that sounds like wastebin. "Wasteland!"

As she leaves, he gives her a confused look, but she feels triumphant.

Too bad that all comes crashing down two hours later when she starts to feel the effects of heartbreak (her first) and begins to cry, leaning against the wall in the corridor. He comes a bit later, and, offering her a hand, pulls her into a hug, letting her tears soak into his robes.

"You were right," she chokes out. "He's a supermassive, superfishing idiot."

"Superficial, Victoire," he informs her with a laugh, but then he pulls her closer and smiles, kissing her cheek (something he's never really done before). "I'm sorry, Vicky. I was an idiot… I thought that since I was in fourth year, I was finally big and bad. Guess I was really just a loser," He laughs forlornly.

"You're not either," she informs him, her sobs finally fading away as she realises how close she is to him with a start.

But then a professor comes clicking down the hallway in her high heels. Distastefully, she scowls at them, mumbling something to herself about 'kids are too young these days' before raising her voice. "Ms. Weasley, Mr. Lupin, I suggest you relocate yourselves somewhere else with your… _activities._" She doesn't stop for a bit of friendly conversation about the latest Charms lesson, instead, she continues down the hall, her footsteps creating a rhythm of clicking.

Teddy and Victoire turn to each other, both looking shocked in a sort of amused way, before bursting into loud laughter, laughing so hard at the _Professor's_ assumption that Victoire nearly forgets why she was crying before.

It's one of those days that they remember for the rest of their lives.

It's also the day that Teddy and Victoire become _Teddy-and-Victoire_ again.

…

The next year, Victoire figures out what Teddy _should be_ to her. He should be like her older brother, because that's the sort of person that he acts like to her- what with his protection over her, his comfort, and the fact that he's a year older than her but acts like he's _far_ more superior than she is. But the thing is, she doesn't feel like he's her older brother.

Of course, she loves him- but it's not the way she should. Most people's hearts don't start beating at a faster rhythm whenever they see their older brother. Most people don't start stammering whenever said older brother _speaks_ to them about something trivial.

It's _wrong_, and she knows it. But the thing is, she _might_ just have a little crush on him. There's no way he's going to find out though, right?

_Right_?

On a warm day right after exams, she finds him crawling out of the Black Lake, toweling himself off with his bright blue towel and looking something like utterly defeated. Feeling like she doesn't care much, she grins at him. "Been swimming in the Black Lake, have you, Teddy?"

"No," he protests, brushing water droplets off of his arms. "Idiot Macmillan and his idiot toadies. They pushed me into the Black Lake. I'll probably get radiation poisoning or something now, just you watch."

"Ew," she wrinkles up her nose and grabs his arm, ignoring the chills that run down her spine or something. _Just a brother_, she repeats to herself. _He's just like the older brother that you always wanted but you never got_.

But it's _so _hard to tell herself that when he demands a hug from her and wraps his strong arms around her. Even though it's just to annoy her, it still feels great. Or when he shoots her a beautiful grin as she drags him up to his dorm room, forcing him into his room and demanding that he take a shower as she dashes to her own dorm room to change her clothes.

They meet downstairs after, and he spins her around in his arms for no reason whatsoever. For some reason, it doesn't feel awkward at all, like she'd expected it to (but then again, she's pessimistic for such an optimist).

What was probably a bad day at some time turns into a good day as they lie on the soft green grass, staring up at the clouds and pointing out their favourites- a heart, something that looks strangely like a sheep, something that she says is a blade of green grass and he says is a dagger.

"Honestly? A dagger?" she questions, sitting up to stare inquisitorially at him. "Have you ever even seen a dagger before?"

"Of course I've seen a dagger, well, at least, in my dreams," he protests, and then they end up laughing at themselves again, so hard that they're both lying in the grass, arms spread out like they're making snow angels in June.

Reaching out, Teddy takes her hand gently, entwining his fingers with hers. In surprise, she looks up at him, and he meets her eyes but doesn't do anything.

"Best friends?" he murmurs, in so low of a voice that she can barely make out what he's saying.

"Always," she agrees, shaking his hand. "And forever."

He nods and squeezes her hand. "Forever is a long time, Vicky."

"I know that," she says impotently. "I'm not a child anymore." And as she turns to look at him, her blonde hair falling into her eyes, she knows that he's only just coming to realise that.

…

Fifth year is when every school decides to make things complicated. Victoire has heard the horror stories- not from her cousins, of course, but from friends in upper years. James comes to Hogwarts that year, and she has to- along with Teddy- set a good example for him, along with Roxanne, who's thirteen and finally figuring out about _boys_, crushes, and the like. It's bound to be a complicated year for everyone.

It only gets worse when a notice is posted on the board- _Dance for fourth years and older_. The third years groan and pout, but everyone knows it's for the best and less awkward that way, anyway.

Then there's the flurry of who's asking who. To avoid making any apparently 'sexist' decisions, the staff of Hogwarts has left it up to the students. Whoever wants to can ask someone. This just makes it all the more awkward, because everyone's thinking, _if so-and-so likes me, why haven't they asked me yet?_

Awkward smiles are exchanged in the halls these days.

Victoire Weasley doesn't know what to thinks. It's obvious- at least to herself- that she wants to go with only one person, and that person is Teddy Lupin. But Teddy's too oblivious to realise that she likes him (if she does, she's still not sure) and she's far too cowardly to ask _him_- there's a reason why she's not a Gryffindor.

So she just sits in the background and watches as all of her friends get dates. They ask her to go on group dates with them. They tell her that they have guy friends who think she's the most beautiful thing in the world and would like to try it with her. But she refuses, still, because she's waiting for _Teddy_ and she's under the impression that at some point, he _has_ to ask her out- right?

Too bad most of what she believes doesn't actually happen.

Time passes by and he still doesn't ask her out. That's when a Gryffindor in his year- a girl with _shiny_ blonde hair and patronizingly brown (nearly red) looking eyes- grows some courage, puts on a short skirt, plasters on a fake smile and waltzes up to him, fluttering her fake eyelashes (_and she wonders if he'll be fooled by this _fake_ girl_).

"Teddy Lupin," she drawls, making it sound more like _Loo_-pin. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me. We'd have a lot of _fun_." Her hand travells up her leg, dragging her skirt a bit up in a weird sort of way.

He struggles to keep his eyes off of her leg. Releasing a sigh, he says, "Of course I'll go to the dance with you, Taylor."

She grins. Placing a hand on his arm and raising her eyebrows at him in a way that's probably meant to be gross, she tells him sweetly, "I'll make this the best night of your life."

Still, Victoire doesn't get what she's talking about. All she picks up on is the fact that Teddy Lupin is going to the dance with a girl that's not _her_, and is instead a girl who makes weird innuendos. They just don't fit together. Victoire supposes everyone can see that.

So she decides that she's not going to sit in her dormitory and _mope_ while Teddy goes and has fun with his new little toy or whatever. She flutters her eyelashes at some boys, and just like that, they come flocking over to her. It leaves her feeling a bit unnerved and guilty about using the Veela Charm, but oh well, all's fair in love and war.

Her eyes travel over the lot of them before she finds the perfect one- a tall, muscular brunette, with eyes that sort of sparkle when he smiles. His name is Trent Finnegan and he's just the type of boy that would make Teddy irritated beyond belief. Plus, he's a Ravenclaw, so he can't be quite as idiotic as her past affairs, can he? Her reasoning is sharp.

Before the dance, Teddy pulls her aside and whispers in her ear, "Vicky, promise me you'll save me at least one dance? I mean," he looks down and blushes.

"Course, Teddy," she replies with an angelic smile at him.

The day of the dance comes far before she is ready. Roxanne wistfully helps her to put on her dress (in the same shell pink as the shells that rest outside Shell Cottage- her favourite colour). Quickly, Victoire rushes to a friend of hers, and they do each other's makeup, giggling all the while like the fifteen year old girls that they certainly still are.

She doesn't want to go, in truth. As handsome as Trent Finnegan might be, he still has _nothing_ on Teddy. The thing she wants to do least in the world is watch Teddy with Taylor, dancing with her, as if they're a _couple_- which is the last thing she wants. They don't work together.

Too bad Teddy can't see that.

The only thing she's looking forward to is her dance with Teddy.

She takes one last glance in the mirror, at her perfect, rosy red cheeks, her shiny full lips, and her perfectly styled blonde hair. She looks just like the Veela whose genes she inherited, but she doesn't feel like it. Sighing, she walks out of the room.

Descending the stairs, her perfectly painted pink nails trailing down the banister, her eyes fall upon Teddy Lupin first, looking dashing in his silver suit that she thinks would perfectly compliment her dress (and her eyes).

But then there's Trent Finnegan, who's wearing… yellow. Hufflepuff yellow, probably an attempt to appease her. What he's obviously not aware of is that pink and yellow _clash_ and she hates the colour yellow anyway.

"What are you wearing?" she hisses under her breath.

"Robes," Trent replies obliviously, tugging at the edge of his robe with an amused expression. "I quite like these, do you not?"

"No," she replies harshly. "Anyway, let's just go."

So, with her arm slid uncomfortably through his, the two of them enter the Great Hall. She glances around, seeing everyone else in _coordination_ with their boyfriends. Well, that is, everyone except Taylor and Teddy. Taylor's dress is an _ugly_ burnt orange that she thinks contrasts with Teddy's in a sickening way.

Satisfied (and becoming satisfied even more at the glare on Teddy's face), she wraps her arms around Trent as the first song begins to play. "Let's go dance."

"So soon?" Trent wonders, looking amused. "And this is a slow song."

"I know _that_," she replies, stomping her foot in an immature way before she grabs his arm tightly and drags him to the dance floor. Their feet move in some sort of (_wrong_) symphony as his arms _wrongly_ tighten around her. It's all so _very_very wrong- but it can't be as wrong as falling in love with your best friend, right? As falling in love with the one who's supposed to be your older brother?

It's an awkward dance, and it's even more awkward because it's with _Trent_. Sure, he's handsome. But his handsome factor is killed by the bright yellow robes that he's wearing.

Her eyes unconsciously fly over to Teddy longingly. Once again, she finds herself wishing that Teddy would've asked her, or even that she'd been able to work up the nerve to ask _him_ to go. Either way, she'd be here with _him_, not Trent, and he'd be here with her, not Taylor.

Once the song is finally over, she grabs Trent's hand and drags him over to the refreshment table. As she nibbles on a cookie, she watches as Teddy gives Taylor an uncomfortable smile. The girl seems intent on getting her body in as close proximity to Teddy's as possible, much to Teddy's (obvious discontent).

This makes Victoire feel some sort of sick satisfaction. Even if she's not having a good time, at least Teddy's not having one either.

Leaning back against the table, she demands, "Trent, let's go dance- and better this time."

"Is this about Lupin?" he asks, stuffing a cookie in his mouth and rolling his eyes.

"No," she lies coldly, grabbing his hand and dragging him out to the floor.

The night goes on like that- dancing awkwardly in between spying on Teddy and Taylor- until finally, Trent gets fed up with her.

"Look," Trent growls, "I thought that you were really pretty, before, and that maybe you'd be as nice as you were pretty so you'd be nice to go with. But really, Victoire- all you're interested in is _Teddy_, which honestly doesn't make your date feel that great. I'm gone, now."

He stomps away, to his best friend (whom she recognizes to be someone Wood, perhaps Olive Wood or some sort of food like that), and she thinks, as he pulls her in her silky black dress to the dance floor. She's not as angry as she should've been, probably, because she thinks that they're good together. But still…it's not too fun.

Angrily, she decides it's time for her to leave. She knows that she's promised Teddy a dance, but really, that's the last thing on her mind at the moment. Teddy's pressed against Taylor still and she doesn't want to _interrupt_ them. Storming out, she finds herself in the corridor, and she ends up going to the common room, where Joseph Macmillan is situated on the couch.

She cringes inwardly- speaking of people she doesn't want to talk to.

"Hi, Victoire!" he greets her far too enthusiastically. "It didn't go well with Finnegan then?"

"No," she replies primly. "I'm too much for him to handle, obviously. You didn't go to the dance?"

Joseph shifts uncomfortably. "No. The girl I wanted to go with was already going with someone else."

Suddenly, a wave of guilt hits her. She's so angry at Teddy for going with someone else- but at the same time, she's been doing the same thing to someone else. Unhappily, she bites her lip. "I'm sorry, Joe. I've been- well, sort of mean to you lately, and I really shouldn't have. You're a sweet boy, honestly, and if I could love you, I would, because you're _sweet_, safe, and you won't ever hurt me. But love never goes for the easy choices, does it?"

"No," he sighs, looking up at her in the same adoring way that she probably looks at Teddy. "No, love doesn't go for the easy choices."

With a frown, she just stares at him, before she leans in and presses her lips to his, leaving him shell-shocked. It's her first kiss- and probably his too- but she doesn't really mind. She likes it actually, having her first kiss with someone who's warm and safe and won't hurt her, not to mention he's not a bad kisser, either.

Once she pulls away, she gives him a soft smile. "I'm really sorry, Joseph."

He nods, glancing down at the ground. "I am too. Have a nice life with Lupin, okay? Invite me to your wedding or something like that."

"You really want to go?" she asks, staring at him as if he's crazy. He wants to watch the love of his life marry someone else? That is, if she does end up marrying Teddy…

"If it means being there for you," Joseph smiles forlornly at her, "then sure."

For one second there, she honestly considers that she could love Joseph. She imagines growing old with him, their children with brown hair and sparkly blue eyes. She imagines having him hold her and feeling safe and secure.

But there would also be no spark, with him. There's a spark with Teddy that she feels with no one else. He makes her feel safe and secure, too, but he's a rollercoaster and he excites her.

Besides, then they could have children with the genes of a Metamorphagus, a Veela, and a werewolf.

…

It takes him a while to find her. But finally, they run into each other in the corridors. Her blue eyes stare at him, before she blinks in surprise. "Teddy! I wasn't expecting to find you."

"I don't go in the corridors, then?" he asks, amused. But then he grins anyway. "It's been a while, Vicky… is something wrong?"

"No," she lies. "How did it go with Taylor?"

"Horrible," he sighs, running a hand through his hair, and it turns to the dark blue of his sadness. "She wouldn't stay off of me the whole time. She seemed to think that the best amount of space between our bodies was _none_, and it was just so weird… we would've never worked, so I suppose it was for the best that she left halfway through and went to go snog Josh Macmillan. How'd it go with Trent?"

"Wonderful," she says sarcastically before laughing. "Worse, actually. He cut things off with me before the dance was halfway through because I wouldn't stop looking at…" She cuts herself off halfway through, realising what she was about to reveal. "At someone else. So he went over to the Wood girl- Pickle Wood or whatever her name is, and I left because I didn't want to be a lonely loser."

"Olive Wood," he corrects her, looking at her suspiciously but not commenting. "Too bad, anyway. And I was going to ask- well, I looked for you at the dance, but apparently you'd already left at that time. But I still want my dance."

"Right now?" Victoire asks, glancing around.

"Yes, right now, why not?" he grins down at her (making her realise how very tall she is).

"But Teddy," she begins to protest. "There's no music, and we don't look fancy, and my _shoes_-" Her eyes fall upon her Muggle sneakers (called Converse or some weird name like that) that she wears around the castle when she doesn't care who sees her.

He cuts her off. "What's wrong with your shoes?" He picks up one sneaker-clothed foot as if to prove his point. "I think you look beautiful, and do we really need music to dance?"

Without waiting for her refusal, he wraps his arm around her, twining his fingers with the fingers of her other hand, and they begin to dance.

Neither of them are the best dancers, and anyone could spot them then. But they seem to forget that. Everything else fades into the background as they dance, his arms twined tightly around her, and it feels to her for a second like they _could_ be something more than just brother and sister. Like they could actually be a couple or something like that.

Cautiously, as the music in their heads fades and their dancing slows, she rests her head on his chest. He wraps his arms around her, and they stand like that for a bit.

It's so natural that it's unbelievable.

…

Sixth year and Victoire has almost forgotten that Lily Luna Potter even exists.

But Teddy hasn't, obviously, as when she plops down across from him (at the Gryffindor table, and no one even has the decency to act surprised). "Who are you writing to?" she questions with an amused smile.

"Lily," he replies, glancing up at her and raising an eyebrow. "She misses me, but hey, next year I'll be able to spend time with her, right? Well, when I'm not in training, but it's fairly close to Godric's Hollow, so I doubt if it'll be a problem."

That's when it hits her, really. Teddy's a _seventh year._ He's of age, already, and he's going to graduate at the end of this year with the rest of them. If there's another dance, she won't be able to hope that he'll go with her. She bites her lip, staring at him, and he looks, concerned, at her. "Something wrong, Vicky?"

"You're graduating," she informs him, and the words hang heavy in the air between them.

"I know," he stares at her like she's crazy. "You knew that, Vicky. We'd discussed it before."

Nodding, she just stares at the table. "I know we have, it's just sort of a shocker. I was under the impression that you would stay here at the school with me forever. But I suppose, I mean, that's not possible, because…" She bites her lip again, harder this time. "Anyway. I'm glad that you got accepted to the Auror training and everything. You're a bright boy, you know."

"I know," he tells her seriously before he laughs. "Really, though, Vicky. You'll be fine without me. You're a brilliant girl, and without me, you'll be shining even more. I'm only holding you back."

"That's not true," she protests.

He picks up the quill again, signing his name_- Teddy_ _Lupin_- with a flourish before looking back up at her. "It is. And without me, you'll surely study more. Then you'll get all good grades, and maybe we'll both be Aurors or something."

"I don't want to be an Auror," she protests with a laugh. "I don't know what I want to do, yet. Maybe I'll become a professor. I sort of like the sound of that, _Professor Victoire._ Everyone expects me to be something big, anyway- I'm the first Weasley and I have to set an example for the rest of them."

His pleading eyes meet hers. "Please, be a good example for Lily. She's going to need one. In my opinion, she's quite the handful."

She sits down, eyes transfixed on his. "You love her," she states plainly, her eyes transfixed on his.

"Honestly, yes, Vicky, she's like my little sister," Teddy tells her with a bit of a smile. "She's your cousin, really- don't you love her too?"

"Yes," Victoire answers, though it's a lie. She's completely unsure on the matter. But if it makes Teddy happy- which from the grin on his face, it seems to- then maybe she can learn to love the little redheaded ball of fire.

…

He kisses her for the first time outside under the star-studded sky, and the stars seem to shine for them.

It's just an ordinary day- the Gryffindor team has just won the Quidditch Cup, and though she's disappointed for her house team (which actually got _second_ for once), she's happy for him. He laughs and twirls her around. When he sets her down, there's something different in his eyes. Then he leans in, a bit randomly, and kisses her on the lips.

When he _finally_ pulls away, she stares at him, her hand flying to her lips. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry," he apologises, staring at her. "I don't know…" But then the words tumble out before her ears. "I love you."

She doesn't know what to say other than what they both need to hear. "I love you too."

Then his lips are back on hers, and though it's still a bit awkward, it's everything she'd wanted in her kiss with Joseph. It's that spark, that same excitement that rages through her veins. It sets her on edge, burns her slowly. She can't help but want to be as close to him as possible.

"Will you go out with me?" he asks breathily between kisses.

"Of course," she agrees, and from then on, it's no longer _Teddy-and-Victoire_- it's now _TeddyandVictoire._

…

The year flashes by before her eyes. She spends every moment that she can with Teddy, but it still doesn't seem to be enough time for them. The summer looms before their eyes, and there's nothing they can do to stop it from coming.

Then, school's over. He graduates, she cries, and they return back to their houses. One summer day, everyone meets up at the Burrow. Victoire and Teddy settle down on the steps at the edge of the sidewalk to talk. He's about to lean over to kiss her when Lily makes her presence known by plopping down in Teddy's lap.

"Hey, Lily-flower," he says with a grin at the child.

"Teddy," she says, turning around to glance at him, "You're staying at home with me this year, aren't you?"

"Yes, in fact I am," he grins at her. "Are you excited about that?"

"Of course I am," she smiles brightly, kissing him on the cheek.

Jealously wells up in Victoire's chest- and really, Lily's only nine, why does Victoire care so much? But she just gives them a black smile and says, "Well, Lily, you better take good care of him, then!"

"Oh, don't worry," Lily gives Victoire a winning smile (but it does nothing to win Victoire over). "I'll take really good care of him." Then she hops to her feet and dashes back into the house.

Then Teddy leans over, capturing Victoire's lips with his own, and she deduces that she has nothing to worry about, instead moving closer to him.

…

At Platform 9 ¾, he goes with her to say his goodbyes and ends up snogging her on the Platform. James sees them there and runs off to tell everyone, and that's the first time that her family finds out about their relationship.

They make her Head Girl, for reasons that she doesn't really understand. She feels that she doesn't deserve it, really, and it just increases the amount of pressure hanging over her head like a death sentence. But she does her best anyway, leading the large group of first years that includes _quite_ a few of her cousins into the Great Hall.

"What happens if we don't get Gryffindor?" Molly's saying in a worried tone to Dominique, Victoire's little sister.

"Honestly, Molls," Dominique rolls her eyes. "I don't _want_ Gryffindor. It's so boring."

Confused, Victoire nearly drops her lantern as she cranes her head to look at her little sister. "You don't want to be a Gryffindor?"

"Course not," Dominique informs her. "I want to be… well, anything _but_ Gryffindor."

Victoire nods, smiling proudly (she knew they were related for some reason), and leads the first years through the doorway.

She takes her spot at the head of the Hufflepuff table, shooting a large grin at the Head Boy- a Gryffindor named Bryce Goldstein- before she turns watch as the children get sorted.

There are two big shockers- first, Albus Potter is a Hufflepuff, and second, Dominique, her sister, goes straight into Slytherin.

She doesn't know if she's ever applauded so loud at a Sorting before.

…

That year, much to her relief, Teddy writes to her often. She gets letter after letter, asking how she's doing- but they all, to her dismay, include a lot of information about Lily. He tends to describe how Lily is and what he's doing with _her_ more than he describes his work in the Auror training.

In response, Victoire piles as much information about the boys in her year as she can- about how she and Bryce get along rather well, about how Joseph gave her a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day, about how she made up with Trent.

Teddy doesn't seem to care that much, and she wonders if she's done something wrong, or if it's just the fact that he has Lily now. And honestly, Lily's only nine, why _does_ she care so much?

It's still a mystery.

…

She graduates, and not long after, she goes on to become the youngest professor at Hogwarts ever, which she assumes is a suitable profession for the oldest of the next generation of Weasleys.

However, that means that after another summer of kissing, hugging, and good memories with Teddy, they're separated again, which is not a good thing for their relationship.

But the silver lining is that Lily starts at Hogwarts at the same time as Victoire.

The first few years are okay- it's only in fourth year, when Lily gets more owls from Teddy than Victoire gets from Teddy, that she starts to feel the jealousy. She ignores the fact that Lily's always surrounded by other boys, or with a trashcan, because she thinks that Lily's having an illicit affair with Teddy or something.

One day, when she sees _I love you_ in a letter, the jealousy builds up to a boiling point. She and Teddy are still together, aren't they? Does he have a problem with her or something? Is that why he's avoiding her? Suspicious and overwhelmed, she runs to the outskirts of Hogwarts, ignoring the scared glances she gets from everyone, and it's from there that she Apparates (because she's Victoire Weasley and she believes that the laws of nature don't apply to her).

She ends up in Teddy's flat with a minorly splinched arm. As he bandages it, he shoots her a concerned glance. "Vicky, I don't mean to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

Wincing, she informs him, "I came here to give you a piece of my mind. It didn't work out too well."

He laughs, tenderly running his hand over her arm. "Why do you want to give me a piece of your mind?"

"Why are you avoiding me?" she demands, ignoring the pain. "Why are you sending letters to Lily saying I love you while I get _nothing_?"

To her surprise, he laughs. He actually _laughs_. "Victoire, you always assume the worst of people- I don't know _how_ you were a Hufflepuff. I was avoiding you because…" He stuffs his hands into his pockets sheepishly, before getting down on one knee, and she knows what's coming, but she doesn't want to expect too much. "Because… Victoire Weasley, I love you. I've loved you since forever. We were best friends when we were little, and we still are today. I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Giggling, she flings herself into her arms, ignoring the pain that still sears through her arms. "Of course. I love you."

Then he kisses her and for the first time, she knows it'll be all right.

…

They get married six months later, and her name changes from Professor Weasley to Professor Lupin (the second, really) but she doesn't mind at all.

Her worries about Lily cease when she sees Lily snogging a boy outside the chapel, but they begin again when she watches the boy morph into a trashcan.

Joseph comes too and hugs her tightly, telling her how happy he is for her even though he's so obviously damaged.

Despite it all, she laughs and takes Teddy's hand as they run through the shower of rice (James has good aim and throws rather hard). She almost trips in her high heels, but she takes them off as she climbs on to the Thestral (provided via Lysander's mum Luna) and flings them down. Roxanne catches them, giggling as she looks over at her red-faced boyfriend, Benjamin.

But as they fly away and Victoire looks down at her family, she can't help but think that she's set a good example for all of them.

Then blonde meets blue as his lips collide with hers and her hand fists into his rapidly changing hair.

Glancing down at the fields beneath them, she whispers, "Guess it's time for our happily ever after."

…

During the honeymoon, they dance together on the beach, below the stars.

There's no need for music, just the rhythm of their hearts in perfect sync.

**A/N: Finished.**

**Another 10K. Gah, I'm absolutely insane.**

**Teddy/Victoire= love. If you want to see, check out the tumblr for it- heckyeahteddyvictoire . tumblr . com, yes, shameless advertising!**

**And by the way, this is for my TeddyVictoire tumblr people- for Pearl, and Bri, and Drishti, because I love themmm. =) And their pics gave me inspiration.**

**(and by the way, Pearl & Bri, enjoy the song? ;D)**

**REVIEW, PLEASE. THIS TOOK FOREVER. THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS LEAVE A SHORT REVIEW.**


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